Veterinary surgical instrument.



No. 813,080. PATENTED FEB. 20, 1906. W. B. COMPTON.

VETERINARY SURGICAL INSTRUMENT.

APPLICATION FILED MAILB, 1905.

Wit wanna 6 W M 2 Gaza.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 20, 1906.

Application filed March 8, 1905. Serial No. 249,053.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, WELDON B. COMPTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lismas, in the county of Valley and State of Montana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Veterinary Surgical Instruments, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to surgical instruments, and more especially to instruments for veterinary purposes, such as castrating and docking of sheep and other animals.

The invention was designed for ranchmen, where a great number of sheep have to be castrated, docked, and ear-marked at one time.

When lambs are about two weeks old, all are docked and ear-marked, and all male lambs are castrated. With the present method the operator supplies himself with a number of sharp pocket-knives which when used are constantly becoming dull and in this way the operator loses much time chang-' ing and sharpening knives. The lambs are placed on a board and the end of the scrotum is cut off. The testicles being small draw up into the body too far to catch and are too slippery to hold with the fingers, so the operator presses the testicles with the thumb and forefinger into sight and then stoops and grasps the testicles with his teeth and pulls testicles, cord, and all out of the lambs body. This is almost the universal practice where large numbers of lambs are to be treated and is very disgusting and obnoxious.

The object of this invention is to provide means whereby the operation of castrating can be accomplished with more rapidity and without the disagreeable and disgusting operation now practiced.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a number of blades which are sharpened on both sides, avoiding the necessity of having a number of knives, three blades being equivalent to siX knives.

A still further object is the novel way in which the blades are held in operative position and the novel way the knife is held in its case.

Still further objects will appear as the specification is read in connection with the accompanying drawings,'in which Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the knife in its case and the catch for holding it therein. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the knife as it is used, with one blade open. Fig. 3 shows the knife removed from the case and all blades open. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section on line w as of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section on line y y of Fig. 3, and Fig. 6 is a section on line 2 2 of Fig. 3.

Referring more especially to the drawings, 1 represents the sheath of any suitable material, but preferably of some strong nonelastic metal, in which the knife is adapted to be held. 2 represents the body of the knife, which is slightly wedge shaped and com-' prises sides 3 and partitions 4, which are defined by apertures or kerfs 5, in which the blades 6 lie. These blades 6 are each sharpened on both edges and each provided with a serrated or toothed portion. The middle blade is pointed by rounding from both edges and is' provided with a dull serrated or toothed portion 7 on each side forming a straight continuation of the sharpened portion. The two outer blades are each pointed I by rounding all from one side and are provided with a dull toothed or serrated aperture 8 on one side only.

The blades are loosely pivoted at .9 to the body, so as to lie entirely within the apertures 5 and be covered by the sides and partitions. The .blades are wider than the handle at their pivotal point, but narrower along the sharpened portion. This prevents the sharpened edges contacting with the metal sheath 1 and allows the blades to contact with the sheath at the pivotal point to hold them rigid in operative position. The sides 3 and partitions 4 are of spring metal and normally hold themselves apart from the blades 6 until the body is forced into the sheath,which action clamps the sides and partitions against the blades at the pivotal point.

As stated before, the body of the knife is center of the closed end of the sheath and have the notched side engage the edge formed by the aperture.

The knob is out of alinement with the a erture 12 when the body 2 is forced in the s eath 1, but that end of the body being smaller allows it to spring to one side enough for the knob to enter the aperture. After the notched side has passed the edge of the end of the body the knob springs back to normal position and the notch engages the edge and holds the body in the sheath.

When it is desired to use the knife, the body is started from the sheath by pressing on the knob 11 until the body projects from the opposite end far enough to be removed. A blade is then opened (this is accomplished by a notch 13 in the pivotal end of the blade which is engaged by the finger-nail) and the whole body inserted in the sheath, which clamps and engages the blades to hold them in operative position.

In castrating, the operator grasps the knife in one hand with his thumb seated against the toothed or serrated portion and with the other hand he raises the scrotum and cuts OK the end. The testicles are now pressed into I sight by the thumb and forefinger of one hand and then pressed into the toothed or serrated portion by the thumb of the other hand. Thus a firm hold is secured on the testicles and they can be removed from the scrotum.

It will be evident that the knife can be used for other purposes, such as skinning, where much of this has to be done. At certain times of the year many sheep die from numerous causes-such as poison, bad water, wolves, hard winters, &c.and if provided with such a'knife the operator should find little trouble in skinning a great number of sheep without having to have the blades sharpened.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. Aknife-blade havinga dull serrated portion and a sharpened edge merging directly into and forming an uninterrupted and even continuation of said serrated edge, said serrated portion and sharpened edge extending in the same general direction.

2. A knife-blade having a concaved or depressed dull serrated portion and a sharpened edge merging directly into and forming an uninterrupted and even continuation of said serrated edge, said serrated portion and sharpened edge extending in the same general direction.

3. A knife-blade having both edges sharpened and a dull toothed portion forming a continuation of each edge.

4. In a device of the class described, the

combination with a sheath having an aperture, of a knife-body adapted to be contained in said sheath, and means integral with said body adapted to engage the edge on the sheath formed by the aperture whereby the body is locked in the sheath.

5. In a device of the class described, the combination with a sheath having an aperture, of a knife-body adapted to be contained therein, and a catch integral with one end of the body but centrally out of line with the said a erture, said catch adapted to engage the e ge on the sheath formed by the aperture whereby the body is locked in the sheath.

6. In a device of the class described, the combination with a sheath having an a erture, of a knife-body, and a catch carrie by said knife-body adapted to spring into said aperture and engage the edge formed thereby.

7. In a device of the class described, the combination with a sheath having a central aperture, of a knife-body adapted to loosely fit said sheath at one end, and means eccentrically mounted on the one end of the knifebody adapted to engage the edge formed by the aperture when the body is forced in the sheath.

8. In a device of the class described, the combination with a sheath, of a knife-body adapted to fit the sheath closely at one end and loosely at the opposite end, and means carried by the body at the loose end adapted to lock with the sheath.

9. In a device of the class described, the combination with a knife-body comprising sides, of blades pivoted between said sides, and means for compressing said sides.

10. In a device of the class described, the combination with a knife-body comprising sides and partitions, of blades pivoted between said sides and partitions, and a blade pivoted between said partitions, and means for clamping said sides and partitions on said blades.

11. In a device of the class described, the combination with a knife-body comprising sides, of blades loosely pivoted between said sides, and a sheath adapted to fit over said body and clamp said sides on said blades.

12. In a device of the class described, the combination with a knife-body comprising sides and partitions, of blades loosely mounted between said sides and partitions, a blade loosely mounted between said partitions, and a sheath adapted to fit over said body and clamp said sides and partitions on the said blades.

13. In a device of the class described, the combination with a knife-body comprising sides, of blades loosely pivoted between said sides, means for clamping said sides on said blades, and means for locking said body to said means facilitating the removal of the 10 said clamping means. body from the sheath.

14. In a device of the class described, the In testimony whereof I affix my signature combination with a knife-body comprising in presence of two witnesses. sides, of blades loosely pivoted between said sides, a sheath adapted to fit over said body WELDON COMPTON and clamp said sides to the blades, and means Witnesses: carried by the body adapted to engage said LULA A. TAYLOR,

sheath to lock the body and sheath together, THOMAS DIGNAN. 

